Nintendo Wii U Review (2012)

One-of-a-kind gaming experiences... and frustrations.

→
November 21, 2012

You probably haven't realized, but the Wii U is a bit like a giant Nintendo DS.

The TV is the top screen. The GamePad is the touch capacitive bottom screen. The GamePad even packs the same freakishly long feature list as the Nintendo DS. It's got touch and stylus support, a camera, a microphone, a gyroscope and accelerometer… all the usual suspects.

But the Wii U also combines many of the best parts of the Wii - including Wii Remote support and the eShop.

But does all this make for a good console, or just a dust collector?

The Hardware

Nintendo has never been in the business of making the most powerful consoles, and the Wii U likely won't buck this trend.

The Wii U has 2GBs of DDR3 SDRAM, one is dedicated to the OS and system functions, while the other is dedicated to gaming.

The processor is an IBM Power multi-core processor, but its specificities and true power is still under wraps. Fortunately, the GPU isn't. It's a fully capable AMD Radeon-based High Definition GPU. Depending on which version you get, the system comes with 8GBs of storage or 32GBs of storage, both of which can be expanded via SD cards or external hard drives.

Unfortunately, without knowing just how many cores the processor has or what its clocked at, it's hard to tell just how powerful it is. But the power of the device is secondary to the new ways you can game with it.

The Wii U's appeal will rest in its first-party software and the novelty of the Wii U GamePad.

While the Wii U has a fairly solid launch lineup, none of the current software is genre-defining, like Mario 64 or Halo (with the possible exception of Nintendo Land, maybe). That means early adopters will doubtless pin their hopes on the GamePad, in much the same way Does it deliver?

Yes and no.

While the GamePad is an exciting controller that offers all the features you want and then some, it comes with its caveats.

The GamePad is light and ergonomic. It's only around 1.1 pounds, lighter than an iPad (1.4lbs), and it has comfortable ridges and grips. But it also feels a bit cheap. Shaking it audibly rattles the face buttons, and the triggers aren't analog, unable to gradually accelerate in driving games or fire faster or slower in shooters by holding them at various degrees.

The GamePad's 6.2" display adds gameplay mechanics we’d only seen in Nintendo handhelds, and still may also underwhelm tablet owners who are used to higher quality displays. Its resolution is only 158ppi - about the same resolution as the first iPhone - and doesn't support multi-touch. But the GamePad is more than the sum of its parts - and each part is a new gaming possibility.

The GamePad is at its best when it's delivering a new way to interact with your games. The ability to play a full console game – like New Super Mario Bros U, while others do something on the TV is as awesome as it sounds. Using it as a second display for solo experiences wowed me far less frequently than when I used it for asymmetrical local multiplayer. Games like Nintendo Land's Luigi’s Mansion, in which one player can see things on the GamePad others cannot, makes fun use of this dynamic.

But, at least for now, genuinely new experiences are the exceptions, not the rule. Few single player experiences utilize the GamePad quite as ingeniously.

Some of that can be written off as developer's limited time with the GamePad..In time, good ideas and development will inform more good ideas and development and the GamePad will be a more effective tool.

The GamePad cannot charge from the Wii U - and that means you'll need to free up an additional outlet to charge it - and this will be a pretty big deal for some. Many rooms won't accommodate another device in need of an outlet, and the GamePad will need to charge frequently.

The GamePad's battery isn't great. An average charge lasts about three to five hours – as compared to other tablets like the iPad, which frequently last over 10 hours of use. A full charge takes about 2.5 hours. In my tests, the battery lasted about four hours.

If your living room can't accommodate charging while playing (and at 8.5' the cord's not going to stretch from every living room's outlet to couch), this one problem could quickly lead to a constantly drained GamePad battery. Fortunately, when the day comes that your rechargeable battery doesn't last even that long, you can replace it yourself.

The Software

Nintendo wants Wii U to be your main media console, but it’s still missing a lot of the video features that will make that possible. But even without them, the Wii U may still usurp your current media setup by adding a tablet to the mix.

From your GamePad you can surf the web, play a game while someone else watches TV, or watch a video on Netflix while your TV is off. For anyone without a tablet, this experience will be mindbogglingly awesome - and even for longtime tablet owners, it still feels incredibly smooth.

“

Loading screens can last anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds.

Wii U's user interface is similar to the Wii's. You have channels to navigate through on either your GamePad or HDTV screen, and the other screen displays the Wii U's new features, like Miiverse, Friend Lists, and more. The channels are clean and easy to navigate, especially with the GamePad, but you'll quickly find the loading screens can last anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds.

Those loading screens are a big concern, especially since some of the longest loading screens are the ones you'll use the most. Accessing the Wii U menu, for instance, often takes over 15 seconds, and there's absolutely nothing you can do while your console loads.

Miiverse is Nintendo's new Twitter/Facebook/Forum hybrid, in which you can "Yeah" people's posts, share doodles made on the GamePad with your Miiverse network (which is as addicting as it sounds), post screenshots, receive tips on how to beat hard bosses, and more. It's just one of the many things that's so intrinsically wonderful and Nintendo.

Internet features are a big part of the Wii U and a big step for Nintendo. But for every major accomplishment Nintendo has made on these fronts, small niggling annoyances abound.

Friends Lists and Miiverse requests are inconsistent and confusing. The eShop has navigation issues and is desperately in need of more hubs. The lack of dedicated voice chat means that games will have different setups and functionality, and is sure to be problematic for core gamers. Those core gamers will also find the Wii U Pro controller's lack of a headset jack to be patently absurd.

Then there's the weird, crippled solution of the Wii Menu - which requires your console to reboot to load a Wii menu. That Wii Menu is the only way to access old Wii content. Your old Wii content won't migrate into your Wii U channels; instead it lives in a separate dashboard, which requires your Wii U to completely reboot to display the old Wii interface. Wii Mode requires a paired Wii remote, looks ugly, and requires a long pause while your system reboots.

It reminded me of the lamentable "desktop" in Surface RT, which utilized a familiar façade to keep users from confusion, but ended up making the OS feel less integrated. And still, having it is better than nothing, but we still wish our Wii content would just integrate with our Wii U content without rebooting.

The good news is that once it loads, all your old Wii content will work, from purchases, to save files to channels (so long as you've transferred them using the Wii U's downloadable transfer tool). Wii games don't have GamePad functionality, and the Wii U doesn’t have GameCube controller ports, so you'll need to use Wii controllers.

Value

Is there ever a better value for a gamer than a new console? For the same price as many on-contract phones, you can get a console that will supply you with countless hours of entertainment.

When you factor in the accessories that are compatible, the Wii U is One of the most economical consoles to date. While the Wii launched for $50 less at $249, it also needed a whole slew of new controllers and accessories, which quickly ran that price up. With the Wii U, all of your Wii controllers will work.

Better yet, you can opt for the 8GB version and expand it with just about any external hard drives and SD cards. That means Nintendo isn't forcing you to buy the Deluxe Version.

You could manage just fine with the $300 version, although we definitely recommend spending the extra $50 if you can. The Deluxe Set comes with more storage, a charging cradle, Nintendo Land, and a savings program that will net you around $6 back for every full price game you purchase through the eShop.

The Verdict

Like most consoles at launch, Wii U is a mix of awesome new ideas and mediocre execution. This is Nintendo's first foray into HD, into true social offerings, into the dangerous business of internet communities, and for the most part it's been handled fairly well.

The Wii U's software speed bumps will likely be ironed out in future OS updates. The same can't be said for its hardware limitations - of which there are a few of note. The GamePad's mediocre battery and outlet charging needs, and maybe even the inordinately long loading screens are pain points you may just have to live with. Right now, the Wii U doesn't have any next-gen competition, but it will soon.

It's hard to compare the Wii U to hardware that hasn't even been announced yet, but if you're going to spend $350 on the Wii U, it's not a thought exercise without value. If horsepower is your main concern, you might choose to wait until next year when we'll doubtless see new, more powerful offerings from Sony and Microsoft.

But the odds that anyone else will release anything as innovative as the Wii U are unlikely. If you want something that'll offer absolutely one-of-a-kind gaming experiences, crazy same-TV multiplayer, and the ability to play next-gen games on a tablet, the Wii U is king.

Despite some growing pains, Nintendo has taken a huge step in the right direction. This is a console in its infancy, with lots of room to mature.